An archer generally shoots an archery bow from a sideways stance with the archery bow held substantially vertically. The central section of an archery bow is a riser that includes a handgrip. With a conventional bow, the handgrip is substantially colinear with the longitudinal axis of the riser such that the archer's hand is substantially vertical when grasping the bow for shooting, i.e., the archer's grasping hand encloses a portion of the longitudinal axis.
With such a conventional bow, there is frequently insufficient clearance between the archer's forearm and the bowstring. This lack of clearance causes the bowstring to strike or brush the archer's forearm as the bowstring returns to its rest position after a shot. If the bowstring strikes or brushes the archer's forearm, the arrow and bowstring are deflected sideways as the bowstring is accelerating the arrow. Such deflection significantly affects the flight of the arrow, reducing the accuracy and precision with which the arrow can be shot. In addition, a bowstring striking the forearm of an archer is painful for the archer. Insufficient bowstring/forearm clearance is particularly pronounced for archers with large forearms and archers who hyper-extend their elbows. Bulky clothing, e.g., a jacket, further aggravates this problem.
Some archers take measures to reduce the effect of or to alleviate the bowstring/forearm clearance problem. However, the measures taken are generally not completely satisfactory. An archer may hold a bow with an arm that is somewhat bent so that the clearance between the bowstring and the forearm is increased; this form of shooting is both unstable and uncomfortable. Alternatively, an archer may hold a bow canted such that the top of the bow is tilted away from the archer's front side. While this form of shooting increases the clearance between the bowstring and the archer's forearm, the form forces the archer to roll his back and tilt his head forward so that he can aim the arrow, which is also an unstable and uncomfortable position for shooting. To reduce the pain of the bowstring striking the forearm, some archers wear a forearm guard. While forearm guards reduce pain by preventing the bowstring from striking the forearm directly, the bowstring may be deflected by the forearm guard so that accuracy and precision are still decreased.
The risers of conventional bows are generally designed with vertical handgrips that allow the archer to hold the bow with a line of force passing through the wrist, elbow, and shoulder of the archer's arm holding the bow. Alignment of the line of force in this manner along the archer's arm produces a comfortable and stable shooting position. However, when an archer modifies his form to increase the bowstring/forearm clearance, this alignment can be sacrificed. For example, if an archer bends his arm to increase the bowstring/forearm clearance, the line of force no longer passes through his elbow. As a result, torques are developed that create strain in the archer's arm.
Recently, archery bows that are designed to be held substantially horizontal have been introduced. These bows are similar in design to crossbows. In a bow of this type, a handgrip is formed generally orthogonal to the plane of the bow, which is defined by the plane including the limbs of the bow and the bowstring; the plane of the bow is substantially horizontal when the bow is held for shooting. The bow is designed with a sight window positioned on the side of the bow opposite the handgrip, i.e., the handgrip and sight window are formed on opposite sides of the plane of the bow. An arrow positioned for shooting rests in the sight window. The orientation of the sight window and handgrip allows the arrow and the bowstring to lie and pass above the arm of an archer that holds the bow substantially horizontally.